UNC’s Board of Trustees Appoints Smith Anderson’s Richard Stevens as its New Chairman

Smith Anderson Attorney Richard Stevens has been appointed chairman of the Board of Trustees at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill for a term commencing July 8, 2019. This is Richard’s second time serving in this leadership role – he was elected as chairman when he served from 1995 to 2003. After serving five terms in the state senate, he was re-elected as a trustee in 2017.  

UNC-Chapel Hill has ranked as a top five public university for 18 consecutive years by U.S. News & World Report’s “Best Colleges” rankings and is considered a top national research university. The Board of Trustees advises the UNC Board of Governors on behalf of Carolina and advises the chancellor on issues of campus management and development, advancing excellence that will benefit Carolina’s students, the state and all the member institutions of the UNC System.

According to UNC-Chapel Hill’s press release announcing the appointment, “Under Stevens’ leadership, the Board of Trustees will continue to support Interim Chancellor Kevin M. Guskiwicz and his team, including the continued implementation of the University’s strategic framework and its alignment with the UNC System’s strategic plan. The Board will also work to bolster the University’s comprehensive fundraising campaign, For All Kind: the Campaign for Carolina.”

Richard is going about his duties with care, saying that he wants to take time to individually meet with each board member before a new slate of officers is identified at the end of this month. These in-person meetings will provide an opportunity to discuss, and then thoughtfully consider, where each member can best contribute to the board’s mission.

Richard joined Smith Anderson in September 2012 focusing his practice on government relations after serving as a Senator in the North Carolina General Assembly since 2003. Before stepping down from this role, he was ranked as the Senate’s third most effective member, according to a survey by the nonpartisan North Carolina Center for Public Policy Research. For the last two years of his legislative tenure, Richard was co-chairman of the Senate Appropriations Committee and served as a budget leader under both Republican and Democratic majorities. An attorney and management consultant, he was county manager for Wake County from 1984 to 2000. Before that, Richard served as assistant Wake County manager and held numerous positions with the city of Durham, including director of finance and assistant city manager.

About the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, the nation’s first public university, is a global higher education leader known for innovative teaching, research and public service. A member of the prestigious Association of American Universities, Carolina regularly ranks as the best value for academic quality in U.S. public higher education. Now in its third century, the University offers 74 bachelor’s, 104 master’s, 65 doctorate and seven professional degree programs through 14 schools including the College of Arts & Sciences. Every day, faculty, staff and students shape their teaching, research and public service to meet North Carolina’s most pressing needs in every region and all 100 counties. Carolina’s nearly 336,000 alumni live in all 50 states, the District of Columbia, U.S. Territories and 164 countries. More than 178,000 live in North Carolina.